The Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy

What The Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy does

The Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (SAP) is a nonprofit professional membership organization that operates as Division 29 of the American Psychological Association. It serves licensed psychologists, mental health practitioners, graduate students, early career professionals, and psychotherapy researchers, with a stated community of 5,000+ practitioners, educators, and researchers. Its mission is to preserve and expand the theoretical and evidentiary base for psychotherapy, support lifelong clinical learning, and make the benefits of psychotherapy more broadly accessible.

SAP's core deliverables are its flagship peer-reviewed Psychotherapy journal (published quarterly by APA, valued at $77-$150/year for non-members and provided free to members), the Psychotherapy Bulletin/eBulletin (a quarterly electronic publication reaching approximately 6,000 subscribers worldwide), interactive listservs (Div29 and Div29announce) managed through APA's infrastructure, a library of 1,300+ archived articles across 25 topic categories on its website, and a portfolio of student awards (six named awards including $500 cash prizes), a student mentorship program pairing graduate students with undergraduates and post-baccalaureate individuals, continuing education resources, and an APA-convention presence. The underlying technology is a content management platform hosted at societyforpsychotherapy.org, layered on APA's membership portal, listserv infrastructure, and journal publishing systems.

SAP's revenue model is annual membership dues on a calendar-year basis: $40 per year for full members and $20 per year for student members. Membership administration, billing, and renewals are handled through APA's my.apa.org portal, with the journal bundled into membership. The go-to-market motion is community-led: content marketing via biweekly website articles and a quarterly eBulletin, organic social across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and (historically) Twitter/X, listserv engagement, awards and mentorship for student recruitment, and conference presence at APA conventions and partner events such as the Society for Psychotherapy Research meeting. The organization has no external funding, no investors, and no disclosed financial statements; it is governed by a volunteer board under Joshua K. Swift, Ph.D., as President.

Name

The Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy

Legal name

The Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy

Website

https://societyforpsychotherapy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (APA Division 29) is a nonprofit professional membership organization serving 5,000+ psychologists, researchers, students, and mental health practitioners through its Psychotherapy journal, eBulletin, awards, mentorship programs, and APA-affiliated infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Mental Health Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Professional psychotherapy association
• Psychotherapy membership society
• Mental health professional development
• Psychotherapy research publication
• Continuing psychotherapy education

Headquarters

HQ city

Mesa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees provide the primary revenue stream. Full membership is $40 per year and student membership is $20 per year. Membership is on a calendar year basis (January 1 - December 31). Members receive the Psychotherapy journal free (valued at $77/year for APA members, $150/year for non-members).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (APA Division 29) is a professional membership organization that supports psychologists, psychotherapists, researchers, and students through its flagship Psychotherapy journal (quarterly), the Psychotherapy Bulletin/eBulletin, student awards and grants, a mentorship program, continuing education resources, and interactive listservs. Membership is sold on an annual subscription basis with full members paying $40/year and students paying $20/year.

Product overview

The Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy (APA Division 29) is a professional organization, not a product company. It offers a portfolio of member services including its flagship Psychotherapy journal (published quarterly, free to members), the Psychotherapy Bulletin (eBulletin published quarterly, free), student awards and grants, a student mentorship program, listservs for member communication, and continuing education opportunities. The organization focuses on advancing psychotherapy practice, research, education, and social justice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Psychotherapy Journal: The flagship peer-reviewed journal of the society, published quarterly in partnership with APA.
• Psychotherapy Bulletin

Products and services

• Psychotherapy Journal

Quantifiable outcome

• 235 Distinguished Fellows recognized for outstanding contributions to the field of psychotherapy
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American Psychological Association (APA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy is APA Division 29, a formal division of the American Psychological Association. This affiliation provides institutional infrastructure for membership management, conference hosting, and professional credibility. The society's flagship journal Psychotherapy is published by APA. The partnership enables access to APA's membership systems, conventions, and governance frameworks.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Psychological Association (APA): The parent organization of SAP (Division 29) and the broader professional home for psychologists. Comparable as the umbrella organization that SAP operates within, offering many of the same services at a larger scale.
• Association for Psychological Science (APS): Larger scientific organization for psychology researchers. Comparable as it serves psychology researchers with publications and conferences, overlapping with SAP's research-focused member segment.
• American Counseling Association: Larger professional association for counselors and related professionals. Comparable as a membership-based organization offering publications, continuing education, and professional development for mental health practitioners.
• World Psychiatric Association: International organization representing psychiatry. Comparable as a global professional society offering publications, conferences, and continuing education for mental health practitioners with overlapping research interests.

Emerging players

• International Society for Mental Health Online: Organization focused on online and digital mental health interventions. Comparable as an adjacent professional society that intersects with psychotherapy practice as it increasingly incorporates technology.

Direct peers

• Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR): International organization dedicated to research on psychotherapy process and outcome. Directly comparable as a psychotherapy-focused professional society with similar membership structure and conferences that SAP actively collaborates with (e.g., the Osaka meeting).
• Society of Clinical Psychology (APA Division 12): APA sister division focused on clinical psychology, including psychotherapy. Comparable as another APA division serving psychologists with overlapping member populations and similar member benefits structure.
• Society for the Exploration of Psychotherapy Integration (SEPI): Specialized organization focused on integrating different psychotherapy approaches. Comparable as a psychotherapy-focused academic society with similar member profiles of clinicians and researchers.
• National Register of Health Service Psychologists: Credentialing and professional association for health service psychologists. Comparable as it serves practicing psychologists seeking professional recognition and continuing education, with overlapping member demographics.
• American Academy of Clinical Psychology: Fellowship organization for clinical psychologists with interest in psychotherapy. Comparable as a professional credentialing and networking body serving clinical psychologists engaged in psychotherapy practice.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/psychotherapy29
• YouTubeyoutube.com/apadivision29
• Facebookfacebook.com/Psychotherapy29
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-society-for-the-advancement-of-psychotherapy
• Instagraminstagram.com/apadivison29

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Society for the Advancement of Psychotherapy